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Did you know that we now offer a full set of FTP services, as well as a dedicated server, to retrieve our monthly updated ZIP Code and Postal Code Databases? It’s True! Our U.S. ZIP Code Databases, U.S. ZIP + 4 Database, Canadian Postal Code Database, and Mexican Postal Code Database can be accessed via FTP.

If you are a current subscriber, all you need to do is email us and ask to have the FTP service turned on for your account. Include your Username in the email and we’ll get it activated in just minutes. You’ll receive a confirmation as soon as your account is set up and that will contain all the details needed.

Common FTP Questions

Can you push the data to my server?

Unfortunately, we cannot. Right now we only offer the ability for you to pull the data from our server.

When do you publish the data?

We publish our U.S. and Mexican databases on or about the 1st of every month. We recommend setting your automated tools to run on the 5th of the month, just in case there is a delay.

The Canadian databases are published closer to the second week of each month. However, it does vary month to month. If you set your tools to run on the 15th of the month, you are guaranteed to capture the new data set.

If you have the ability to automatically reschedule the CRON job, you can look at the date on the files to determine if the update has occurred. If it has, process the data. If it has not been updated, simply reschedule the CRON job a day or two out.

Are the file names always the same or change each month?

Each month (depending on the product), we publish two data sets 1.) the full data set for that month and 2.) A delta or change log that simply lists the changes from the previous month. The delta/change log is only available for our U.S. ZIP Code and U.S. ZIP +4 products.

The full data set will always be named the same each month. You can rely on this to do a complete import of the data each and every month. For some products, such as our U.S. ZIP Code Database, Canadian, and Mexican data, a full import is recommended.

Example: The U.S. ZIP Code Full data set file “zip-codes-database-DELUXE-csv.zip” file will always have this name. You can check the date to see if it has been updated.

The delta or changes file will be named according to the publication date. This uses a YYYY-MM format appending to the beginning. We typically provide the past 6 months of history on these in case it is needed.

Example: The U.S. ZIP Code Change file “2012-07-Update-DELUXE.zip” file will change names depending on the year and month of the update. You can also check the file creation/modified date for when this was published.

We require FTPS or SFTP Service. Can you provide this?

Absolutely! We can comply with HIPAA, Other Privacy Policy’s, and even secure network admin requirements for secure and protected connections.

What is the IP Address & is it Static?

The FTP address (and IP Address) are included in the welcome email you receive for your FTP account. These are static addresses that will not change. You can safely use these to configure your firewall if needed.

How large are the files?

The file size depends greatly on which product and data format you want. Our CSV Standard ZIP Code database is about 3.6 MB compressed and the Access MDB version is 5.9 MB compressed, while the complete ZIP+4 database is 1 GB compressed. Transaction/Update files can very greatly each month. Prepare for larger file sizes, but it’ll never be anything that you cannot handle.

Can I use an FTP URL String?

Sure! Following the guide on this page, you can easily construct a URL for your FTP connection. Just use the template URL below:

Replace the FOLDER value with the folder of the product you have access to (you can get this by logging in). Then replace the FILENAME with the actual name of the file (you can also get this by logging in). Plug in your USERNAME and PASSWORD, and you have a fully qualified FTP URL string. You can even use this in most browser! Example:

Unfortunately, no. All FTP accounts come with read only access to the data. You will need to setup your systems appropriately for this situation. You will be unable to delete files once you have read them. You will not be allowed to alter any files, nor can you create new files in the FTP directory. This is done for our security and yours.

Why does it Time Out when I try connecting?

The most often cause of a connection timing out when trying to connect via FTP is a local firewall on your end. With the widespread adoption of SFTP (Secure FTP), many network administrators are banning connections on Port 21 in favor of SFTP on Port 22. Try using SFTP first. If it still times out, your network admin may have disabled all FTP traffic. You will need to have them whitelist the IP address contained in your welcome email for all FTP Ports you wish to use.

We’re happy that we can help your business automate it’s data needs. If you ever have any questions, please do not hesitate to email us at info@zip-codes.com.